"Thus I was comfortable to them - but a stranger to myself. That 'self' was pushed so far down behind my facade she had nearly perished, suffocated under the weight of my duplicity." - Patricia Raybon in "My First White Friend"

Thursday, October 2, 2008

the tourniquet of silence

it's not surprising to me that when emotional trauma occurs, we shut down and shut up. the wounds are so deep, and so great, that all we can do is stop the blood flow in order to prevent great loss. we bind ourselves with silence to impede the feeling, and the hurt, the guilt and the pain that is coursing so powerfully and violently from our hearts.

and while initially, this is a life-saving, face-saving, or soul-saving act, in the long-term, it can deaden reality and all the emotions that go with it. then, the loss of life becomes too great to sustain. by keeping the tourniquet of silence on too long, we have to amputate not only the now deadened, wounded area, but with it, any vitality and life that surrounds it.

can we use a tourniquet of silence to accomplish only what it was meant for - a temporary, immediate act of desperation for rescue? and once its made clear that we will have to live with and be forced to face our wounds, take off the silence and seek refuge in the arms of a good nurse?

may i be a good nurse now for when i will inevitably become the patient later.

Followers

What Krista's Reading

NOTHING!!! I'm on break!!!

Lyrics Krista Loves

"The breeze can only be when she overcomes the heat. Our hearts can only shake when there's risk that they could break. Yeah it's a chance that I will take..." NeedtoBreath, Looks Like Love"I'll build an altar with the rubble that You've found me in and every stone will sing of what You can redeem..." Point of Grace, Heal the Wound